Education Research

An archive of research links and resources highlighting preschool,
kindergarten and child research studies, conducted by educational and
independent sources and how they relate to childhood development, family
cohesiveness and educational values.

The number of American children with chronic illnesses has quadrupled since the time when some of their parents were kids, portending more disability and higher health costs for a new generation of adults, a study estimates.

An almost fourfold increase in childhood obesity in the past three decades, twice the asthma rates since the 1980s, and a jump in the number of attention-deficit disorder cases are driving the growth of chronic illnesses, according to researchers at Harvard University in Boston. The report is published in a themed issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association focusing on children's health.

"Study after study shows that the earlier a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road," said U.S. President Barack Obama in Feb. 14 speech in Decatur, Georgia.

Obama wants to help our nation's children flourish. So do I. So does everyone who is aware of the large number of children who are not flourishing. There are just two problems with his solution: The evidence used to support the positive long-term effects of early childhood education is tenuous, even for the most intensive interventions. And for the kind of intervention that can be implemented on a national scale, the evidence is zero.

The recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa is making headlines around the world, and generating a fair bit of international concern.

The deadly virus has claimed over 800 lives since March in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria, and is fatal in up to 90 percent of cases. Israeli researcher Dr. Leslie Lobel, however, is not sitting idly by. He has been studying the disease for many years and believes he is close to developing a cure. Ebola was first identified in 1976 in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). It starts off looking like a bad flu, but quickly progresses to vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding, according to the World Health Organization.

Ever notice that you don't see dollar signs on a menu? That's a deliberate choice.

Eating out is such a common activity, we don't really think about the work that goes into creating a fine dining experience. Yet behind the scenes, menu engineers and consultants put careful thought into the way you choose what foods you eat. Here are 11 of the sneakiest psychological tricks restaurants use to make you spend more money...

This California-based burger chain has America's most delicious burgers.

An obscure burger chain was just named the best in America by Consumer Reports. The Habit Burger Grill claimed the top spot for the best-tasting burger in the country, beating out competitors like In-N-Out Burger and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

And according to Leil Lowndes in her book "How To Talk To Anyone," you can capture - and hold - anyone's attention without saying a word. We've selected the best body-language techniques from the book and shared them below.

The Myo armband can control electronics around you based on your gestures.

After years of tweaking, the technology that will make you think you're a Jedi - or maybe Tom Cruise in "Minority Report" - is gearing up for its launch later this year. Canadian company Thalmic Labs attracted millions of potential customers last February when it introduced a video for the Myo armband, which lets you control electronic devices with simple hand and arm gestures. The original video, which Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak called "very cool and impressive," is embedded below. Thalmic is venture backed and launched last February.

Here's why your smartest friends probably have the biggest gaps on their resumes, despite having loads of relevant experience and pedigree educations.

Despite having "loads of relevant experience, lots of personality, and even pedigree educations," there's a good chance that your most brilliant, overachieving friends and acquaintances are those who have suffered the longest periods of unemployment, says Maurice Ewing, PhD, chief executive and founder of Conquer, in a recent LinkedIn post. Seems illogical, right?

Ottawa and the provinces should use their spending powers to ensure access to reasonable quality childcare programs for "at risk" children, rather than launch universal childcare, says a Commentary released today by the C.D. Howe Institute.

Childcare programs targeted on disadvantaged families could generate significant benefits, says the paper, Let's Walk before We Run: Cautionary Advice on Childcare, by John Richards, Professor, Public Policy Program, at Simon Fraser University and Matthew Brzozowski, Assistant Professor, Economics, at the University of Western Ontario. While studies show childcare programs benefit children from low-income or single-parent families, who are likely to be disadvantaged in terms of preparation for formal schooling, the net benefits for children from stable, middle-class homes are doubtful, according to the study. Why do "at risk" children clearly benefit? Evidence from US studies suggests that benefits are a function of the gap between the quality of the childcare centre and the home as a learning environment.

While wind power is one of the cleanest sources of renewable energy in the world - and the top source for new U.S. electricity generation as of 2012 - many people still take issue with turbines and their noise.

Though some people living near turbines say that the low hum doesn't cause much trouble, others report daily annoyance, with some controversially linking the noise to physical ailments. But a Dutch company called Archimedes has set out to change that mindset by releasing the Liam F1 Urban Wind Turbine, a $5,400 model set to roll out next January. The company promises to boost efficiency and cut your electricity bill, while making little to no noise in the process.